Zoe drove on for a few more minutes while Hale sat with his hands over his eyes. She drove around a corner and slowed almost to a crawl before she said, “Now open.”

Hale grew up in the city. Every year, there was a massive Christmas tree in CopleySquare. There were wreaths on the streetlamps and the skeletal trees of the commons were adorned with glittering lights.

All of that had nothing on the winter wonderland in front of him. New Main Street glowed with so many lights Hale wondered if their tiny town could be seen from outer space. Entire houses were covered in rows of twinkling lights. A light-up Santa and nine tiny reindeer landed on the roof of one house, while another was decked out like a disco gingerbread confection, and a brilliant Star of Bethlehem hung over the Solemnity of All Souls Church, guiding believers to the Nativity display bathed in a soft golden glow.

Hale whistled.

Zoe drove along at a snail’s pace, giving Hale a chance to take in the cacophony of electric colors. Beside her, Hale kept blinking and rubbing his eyes in surprise.

The town light-up was a local tradition. Zoe remembered it from her childhood, and her parents talked about driving through town the day before Christmas Eve to admire the lights. Neighbors slaved away, mostly in secret, to decorate their houses for the big day.